CNN
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At house in Anchorage, Alaska, nurse Teresa Grey was enjoying a board recreation along with her kids when she heard concerning the large earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6.
Though she was greater than 5,500 miles away from the catastrophe, she instantly sprang into motion.
Grey’s nonprofit, Cellular Medics Worldwide, sends small groups of volunteer medics to humanitarian crises world wide. They’re usually on the bottom to assist inside the first few days.
Since 2017, Grey and her group have responded to dozens of disasters, offering free medical care and luxury to greater than 30,000 individuals on 5 continents. Final 12 months, she was honored as a Prime 10 CNN Hero for her work.
By February 7, Grey had obtained permission from Turkey’s Ministry of Well being to hitch the aid efforts, and she or he flew out early the following morning.
“It’s fairly frantic main as much as a mission,” Grey advised CNN as she made remaining preparations to journey. “We wish to get in as quickly as potential. So, we’ll be on the bottom about 72 hours post-earthquake.”
She packed up provides to assist a whole lot of sufferers, starting from trauma dressings to antibiotics to acetaminophen. She additionally ready the gear her workforce would should be self-sustaining in freezing winter situations.
“The buildings have been considerably broken, so you possibly can’t keep inside, it’s too harmful,” she mentioned. “We’re going to be sleeping in a tent, consuming MREs (Meals Able to Eat) … This isn’t going to be a great time.”
Grey additionally did a video name to the touch base along with her workforce, which included a paramedic from London, a physician from Malaysia, and a nurse anesthetist from Missouri. It was a busy time for Grey, who says she will get “hyper-focused” earlier than every mission, attempting to anticipate issues which may come up.
“We have to discover a protected place to be. What if any person forgot their sleeping bag? We don’t converse the language, so I would like to search out some interpreters,” she mentioned. “These are the issues that run by my thoughts as I’m on the brink of go to the airport.”
After an epic journey by Seattle and New York, Grey lastly landed in Turkey late on February 9 and met up along with her workforce. They made their technique to Hatay Province and as soon as there, started doing cell clinics on the streets of Samandag.
For Grey, the destruction she noticed was troublesome to grasp.
“Simply the whole quantity of annihilation … that is most likely essentially the most devastation that I’ve ever seen on any mission that we’ve been on,” she mentioned.
Since so many buildings have been unstable, the federal government had mandated that every one households should sleep exterior in tents. In a cellular phone video made on Valentine’s Day, Grey described how she and her group would go road to road, stopping at tents to supply their assist. She reported treating individuals for earthquake accidents, together with a lady who had been trapped within the rubble for greater than 12 hours, in addition to sicknesses just like the flu that had been exacerbated by the dwelling situations.
“No matter they want us to take a look at, we’ll,” she mentioned. “Then we return, sleep in our automotive. Stand up the following morning and do it once more.”
They handled a whole lot of individuals throughout their 10-day mission, Grey mentioned. One among their interpreters, a highschool instructor who they referred to as Okay.T., turned an important a part of their workforce. In a cellular phone video, Okay.T. advised Grey what the individuals they have been serving to had mentioned to her.
“They advised me, ‘Say them (sic) thanks. It’s actually good for us as a result of … we are able to’t see any physician, we are able to’t go any hospital,” Okay.T. mentioned.
Okay.T. had additionally suffered an amazing deal. Two of her college students had been killed within the earthquake, and the varsity the place she taught had been destroyed. She and most of her prolonged household – a complete of 15 individuals – misplaced their houses and have been pressured to take refuge in a greenhouse on their property.
Regardless of their very own hardship, Okay.T.’s household adopted Grey’s group as their very own, Grey mentioned – letting them keep on their property, making them tea and occasional, and sharing meals with them. Their generosity served as one other reminder that, even in determined occasions, humanity shines by.
On February 19, Grey received again to Alaska. When a 6.3 magnitude aftershock hit Turkey the following day, she instantly reached out to Okay.T. and others she befriended on her journey to ensure they have been all okay. She’s working to ship one other workforce of volunteers very quickly.
Wish to become involved? Take a look at the Cellular Medics Worldwide web site and see the right way to assist.
